WORLD
Maiden flight for China's first big jetliner scheduled for May 5
Baku, May 3, AZERTAC
The maiden flight for C919, China's first domestically-produced large passenger plane, is scheduled for May 5, the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) said Wednesday, Xinhua reports.
The maiden flight will take place in the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. "If weather conditions do not allow it, the maiden flight will be rescheduled," the company said.
The aircraft is likely go through months or years of demanding certification tests, and meeting safety standards might require design changes. Comac will also need to gain the trust of airlines in China and beyond by showing the jet can operate efficiently and reliably on scheduled flights. The C919 is set to put China among the few nations that have developed large homegrown airliners -- the U.S., Russia, Brazil, Canada, the U.K., France and Germany, according to CNN.